The Secret Keepers
by anon1111
Summary: The war has been raging for over 4 years and the Resistance is barely surviving defeat thanks to the Resistance spy in Voldemort's ranks. Ginny Weasley has been tasked as the sole keeper of a secret and ends up uncovering more than she could have imagined.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Yes, I am still working on Unspeakable Things, too. This has been brewing for a bit and I got excited about starting to write it!

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

 _Prologue:_

"Ginny?" Molly Weasley poked her head into the room, "Tonks wants to see you."

Ginny looked up in surprise, putting down the socks she had been attempting (unsuccessfully) to darn using a poorly executed mending spell. Until they'd started fighting together recently, she and Tonks had never really been that close and she couldn't imagine why the woman wanted to see Ginny _,_ especially not when Tonks was on her deathbed. Wouldn't she rather have family and close friends there?

" _Me?"_ Ginny squeaked uncertainly, "Did she say why?"

Ginny didn't particularly do well around dead or dying people, not even after all of the unwanted experience she'd gotten in the past few years. She always felt helpless, uncomfortable, and lost; the whispered assurances and caring touch that seemed to be required at someone's deathbed did _not_ come naturally to her.

"No, dear." Molly said, moving closer to examine the pair of socks that Ginny was currently working on. Molly picked up one of the pair, waved her wand and muttered _resarcio_ , and Ginny watched ruefully as the hole in the heel of the sock darned itself successfully.

Ginny leveled an exasperated look at her mother, "I _was_ trying, Mum."

Molly looked at her daughter fondly over the next pair of socks she had picked up and then motioned her head toward the door.

"Go now, Ginny dear. I'll finish these. I imagine there isn't much time."

Swallowing nervously, Ginny nodded her thanks at her mother and then hurried out of the room. Her heart pounded as she walked briskly through the hall and thundered down the stairs, heading towards where the hospital wing was located on the first floor. The halls were fairly empty at this time, as it was after dinner and most people were either working on their assigned chores or spending some precious time with family in private rooms. She was aware of passing a few familiar faces as she went, but her mind was so preoccupied that no one registered.

Ginny pushed hesitantly at the door of the hospital wing and moved forward cautiously, noticing that most of the beds were occupied. Two days ago there had been a brutal battle and obviously many people were still suffering the effects of it. Ginny was fortunate that no one in her family had been hurt or killed this time, but looking around the room, Ginny was reminded that not everyone had been so lucky. At the far end of the room, a set of white panels had been set up around the last bed on the left, under a window. From her position in the doorway of the room, Ginny could make out two silhouettes behind the curtained panels: one of average size, and one much smaller.

"Ginny?" Andromeda Tonks, the larger of the two shadows, stuck her head out from behind one panel, "Come on over, she's awake now."

Ginny wasn't sure how Andromeda was even functioning right now, let alone standing bravely next to her dying daughter, her face stoically set. As she approached, Ginny saw that the smaller figure, clutching Andromeda's hand tightly with a chubby fist, was a little boy with a mop of (currently) bright blue hair: Tonks' son, Teddy. Ginny's brow crumpled in pain and anger; this war was costing too many young, innocent lives and it wasn't _fair_.

Tonks lay on the bed, her hands folded gently over her abdomen, and her lank, mousy (no longer purple) hair was spread across the pillow. A couple weeks ago while fighting, Tonks had been hit by a charm of unknown origin and it was slowly killing her from the inside out. The Healers had no idea what it was or what to do about it, as it was of Dark Arts origin. Tonks' eyes blinked open as Ginny approached the bed and she looked up with bright, surprisingly lucid eyes.

"G-Gin-ny Weas-ley," Tonks rasped, smiling wanly and reaching with one pale, thin hand for Ginny's. Uncomfortably, Ginny knelt by the bed and gave the dying woman her hand. Tonks' grip was cold and clammy, but surprisingly firm. "Y-you must take ov-er. I c-can-not do it anymore m-ore-"

"Do what, Tonks?" Ginny asked, attempting to inflect some gentleness into her tired, confused tone.

"Y-you… m-must," Tonks started, but then her voice faded out, her brow crumpled in pain, and she let out a strangled gasp, her body writhing uncontrollably on the bed. Immediately, Andromeda called for a Healer and began to shuttle the now crying Teddy away from his mother.

"What must I do?" Horrified, Ginny released Tonks' hand and stepped back, looking with creased brow to Andromeda for confirmation. Andromeda gave her a distraught, helpless shrug, "She wouldn't tell me anything Ginny, I'm sorry," before scooping Teddy into her arms and carrying him away.

The Healer, a woman with frizzed, graying hair and a harried expression, rushed over with a vial of something in her hands, unceremoniously unstopping it as she approached the bed. Tonks was shaking her head furiously, strangled sounds escaping her mouth. Ginny, eyes wide with fear and uncertainty, stepped back even further, hoping to blend into the shadows.

"Tonks," The healer was saying gently, "I really need to administer this potion now. If we don't, the curse will-"

"Wait." Tonks commanded weakly, "G-Gin. C-come here. I h-have to-"

Resigned, the Healer stepped back, a worried frown marring her features as another spasm shook Tonks failing body. Ginny, blinking furiously at threatening tears, knelt down next to Tonks again and took her cold hand between both of hers, squeezing it tightly. Ginny had never been any good at comforting people and she was feeling completely inadequate. As she patted Tonks' hand reassuringly and clumsily murmured gentle assurances in her ear, she noticed that something was clutched in Tonks' shaking fist.

Brow furrowing, Ginny pried apart Tonks' rigid fingers and plucked out a small scrap of parchment. Her eyes flashed up to the other woman's, who was looking at her with what was probably meant to be a smile but, on her pain-contorted face, looked more like a grimace.

"-Only y-you." Tonks voice was strained and barely decipherable, and Ginny found herself bending her ear closer to Tonks' mouth, "-m-my cou-cou-sin, y-you must…" Frustrated at not being able to understand much of what Tonks was saying, Ginny looked down at the scrap of parchment, starting to unfold it.

"No!" Tonks' hand shot out and covered Ginny's. " –A-alone."

Hesitantly, Ginny nodded at Tonks, folded the paper, and put it carefully in her pocket. She could almost feel it burning against her skin there; so curious was she about its obviously important message. Why would Tonks have a secret message for _her_?

The Healer stepped forward, startling Ginny out of her reverie, "Excuse me, Miss Weasley? I think it's time. There's nothing more I-," the Healer broke off abruptly, looking down and shaking her head, "Her family should probably be here."

Ginny gave Tonks' hand one last squeeze, brushed a kiss across her damp forehead, and whispered, "I'll get your mum, Tonks."

* * *

After letting Andromeda know, Ginny rushed out of the hospital wing, turned blindly down the next empty corridor, and slumped against the cold, stone wall, gasping. She placed her sweating palms on the wall, and slowly slid down the rough stone, her bottom _thumping_ against the floor and her legs bent awkwardly to one side. With trembling fingers, Ginny carefully unfolded the scrap of parchment.

 _Ginny-_

 _When you are done reading this, you must immediately burn it until there is nothing left. You must tell NO ONE what you will learn as a result of what I share here, unless it becomes absolutely necessary- you will know when this is the case._

 _For almost three years, I have been the secret keeper of a crucial secret. As you are reading this, it is certain that I am now, or very soon will be, dead. As you may or may not know, for three years we have received information passed to us from an informant in the Death Eater ranks. I have been his contact and have met with him bi-monthly to receive information; now, I am asking you to take over this responsibility. People will know that you are now the secret keeper, and that is allowed, but it is imperative that you conceal our contact's identity._

 _I know you are placing a lot of trust in my word here, but all I ask is that you do so. You are strong, rational, and levelheaded; I know you will not let us down._

 _Second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Dawn. 56.3_ _N 3.72_ _W. Ask for the password: "Black"._

 _And please, trust him. He has never once led us astray._

 _Love, Tonks_

 _P.S. Burn this now!_

 _P.P.S Look after my Teddy for me, will you?_

Ginny let her head fall back in shock against the wall, thoughts racing. The resistance had a Death Eater _spy_? Tonks was the contact for the spy? And now Tonks wanted _Ginny_ to be the contact? Ginny scanned quickly through the letter again, hoping to pick up something that would give her another clue. She paused at the end of the letter, pushing back the emotional thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her, and focused on what her rational next steps were.

Still slumped against the wall, Ginny repeated the coordinates to herself over and over under her breath until she was certain they would be imprinted in her dreams. Then, she took out her wand, whispered _Incendio_ , and watched the charred slip of parchment crumble into dust on the floor. She wiped her hands, pushed herself back to her feet, and forced herself to walk slowly and calmly back up the stairs to her room to finish her chores.

* * *

Ginny sat hunched in her windowsill, staring morosely at the calendar on her desk. Today was currently the evening of Sunday, the 11th of March. That meant that tomorrow was Monday and that the day after that was Tuesday. Tuesday, the 13th of March was the second Tuesday of this month, so that meant in less than two days, Ginny would have to throw all caution to the winds and embark on a solo mission to meet with their unidentified Death Eater spy. What in the _hell_ had she agreed to?

When Ginny returned to her room that night, her mum had asked why Tonks had needed to see Ginny specifically. Ginny vaguely told her mother that she was to take over as contact for the spy. Predictably, Molly had been horrified and ranted and raved for a full ten minutes that there was no _way_ they could send Ginny, she was _too_ young, and they would have to pick someone else! Familiar with Molly's fierce protectiveness and knowing it came from a place of caring, Ginny waited until she was done before calmly telling her mum that they couldn't pick someone else, that Tonks had asked her for a reason, and that she was not going to go back on the dying request of a friend. Molly hadn't been able to raise much argument after that, but even now, a week after Tonks had passed away, Molly still managed to raise a grumble about it whenever she could.

Ginny looked up from her sullen examinations of her calendar as her brother Charlie poked his shaggy, red head into the room,

"Hey, Gin-bug, whatcha doing in her all by your lonesome?"

Ginny felt a grin light up her face, "Charlie! My favorite brother!"

Ginny threw her arms around her brother's shoulders, "I'm just moping. It's Tuesday soon. You know, _the_ Tuesday." She directed a meaningful look at him.

"Ah, so that's what's got you down." Charlie sat down on Ginny's bed and leveled a serious look at her. "Anything about it in particular? The unknown… or, the danger…?"

Ginny twisted her lips to one side, and began chewing thoughtfully on the bottom one. "Not so much the unknown. Or even the danger, really, I've become quite accustomed to always being on alert. It's more the fact that- I mean, I know this person has been _helping_ us for years, and Tonks met with him successfully for years, but the fact is, he's still a _Death Eater_. I mean, what is he going to be like? And also, who the _hell_ is it?"

"I'm curious too, Gin. I suppose _you'll_ find out on Tuesday." Charlie shot her a sly grin; "I'll just have to bug you by making all sorts of guesses about who it is."

"NO," Ginny said fiercely, whipping her head around to look seriously at her older brother. "I can tell _no one_."

Charlie reared back, putting his hands up defensively, and frowning at the intense expression on his little sister's face. "Sorry Gin, just trying to inject some humor into our bleak situation. I _know_ you can't tell."

Sighing, Ginny slumped her temple against the windowpane, speaking to her reflection in the glass rather than meeting her brother's concerned eyes.

"Sorry, it's just- Tonks was _adamant_. But I know you were only joking." Ginny said wearily, keeping her eyes on the window, "I think I'll try to get some rest now, ok?"

Charlie stood up, placed a kiss on the top of his sister's head and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Night, Gin-bug."

* * *

Monday passed with surprising swiftness, filled with chores, battle strategy, and training. Ginny had spent a lot of time on her own, which was unlike her, and she knew her family and friends were worried about her. It wasn't just that she was nervous about her first solo mission, or that she was scared about meeting with a Death Eater (albeit one who happened to be a spy for their side). What was really driving her crazy was the anticipation of not knowing who it was. She didn't think she'd really be able to relax until she'd found out and wished that Tonks had told her more about what to expect. Ginny had always _hated_ not knowing what to expect.

Very early on the morning of 'The First Second Tuesday', Ginny woke up when it was still pitch black out and the other inhabitants of the headquarters where still sound asleep. She had packed a bag the night before with essentials like food and water, not knowing if or for how long she would have to wait. Quietly, so as not to wake her roommates, she slipped into her trusty black fighting gear and pulled a drab cloak over her head. Then she tiptoed downstairs to the front hall and checked her watch: It would be dawn soon. Ginny hefted her bag more securely on her back, squared her shoulders, and pushed the front doors open. When she was past the boundary of the safe house where the wards ended, Ginny clenched a shaking hand around her wand, repeated the coordinates under her breath, and then turned on the spot, disapparating.

Gasping, Ginny stumbled only slightly as her feet touched uneven terrain. She opened her eyes, noticing that she appeared to be in a small forest clearing. Through the gaps between the tops of the trees, she could tell that the sky was already beginning to lighten, signaling dawn. She put her wand back in her pocket, but kept her fist clenched around it, peering apprehensively around at her surroundings. Behind her, Ginny was aware of foliage rustling and a twig snapping and she spun around quickly, thrusting her wand out, as a surprisingly familiar voice said in a tone twisted with disbelief and muffled by something else,

" _Weasley?"_

Ginny blinked a few times as she stared at the tall figure before her, masked and clad in a hooded black robe, before narrowing her eyes in suspicion and keeping her wand aimed on him.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here? Where's Nymphadora?" the man demanded roughly.

Ginny squinted harder at the man, moving closer, attempting to see under his skeletal Death Eater mask, trying to confirm that she had indeed recognized his voice. Then she remembered her task, and the potential for danger if this was _not_ the spy, and stuttered to a stop, yelling frantically, "Th- the password. Tell me the password!"

There was a pause as the Death Eater canted his head to the side and appeared to look down at Ginny, expression still concealed behind the skull-like mask. It was unnerving to be stared at in such a way by a large man who had the appearance of a Death Eater and Ginny shivered. She raised her wand higher and demanded in a voice that was shriller than she would have liked, "Password. Now!"

The figure lowered his wand, stepped one step closer to Ginny, and said "Black," before pushing up his mask and pulling down his hood, revealing ash blond hair, a pale, smirking face, and frosty, grey eyes. Ginny was aware that her mouth was gaping open unattractively as she stared, disbelieving, at the man in front of her, but she couldn't seem to school her features into a neutral expression. _He_ was their spy? _He_ had been spying for the Resistance for nearly three years?

"Well, well. Nymphadora's passed the baton onto you, has she?" Draco Malfoy drawled, folding his arms over his chest, "Interesting, although I do wish she'd have warned me."

At that, Ginny mouth flattened into a grim line and her eyes narrowed, " _Nymphadora's_ dead. Why the hell else would _I_ be here?"

Ginny couldn't even fully appreciate Malfoy's reaction, as his eyes widened dramatically and he staggered back a step, shaking his head in horror. She was too busy mentally berating herself for not having made the connection before when Tonks had tried to tell her who the spy was. Tonks _had_ said something about her cousin when she was dying, but Ginny had been too distracted and overwhelmed at the time to really process it.

"I-I'm sorry," Malfoy was saying somberly, appearing uncharacteristically contrite, "I didn't know."

Ginny's eyes flashed, and she glared at Malfoy, shaking her head with something that was either disbelief or dismissal. "I can't believe- I just really can't believe- y-you? For all these years? I mean- you were Mr. Dark Lord Wannabe back at school and now-" Ginny waved her arms around uselessly, appearing to be at a loss for words. Malfoy leveled a cold, icy gaze at Ginny, and his eyebrow quirked, just once.

"I've changed. I've become disillusioned with my former path. I've seen the light, if you will," Malfoy drawled glibly, waving his left hand gracefully in the air next to his head. "Take your pick."

Ginny rolled her eyes to this, but then her gaze was drawn to the hand that he had waved; there was a black glove on it, while his other hand was bare. Her eyes narrowed and she looked up at Malfoy.

"What's with the glove, Malfoy?" she asked cruelly, her voice full of the familiar acerbity that used to color her tone in interactions with him in the past, "Part of the _costume_?"

Malfoy's left eyebrow twitched imperceptibly again and he stared back at her with a slight sneer twisting his refined features, unfazed by her hostile glare.

"No." Malfoy said shortly, "It's not required."

"Well then, why?" Ginny demanded harshly.

Malfoy's eyes narrowed and the smirking, jesting Malfoy was gone, replaced by the cold, guarder, superior visage of someone who looked every bit the Death Eater he was playing at being.

"None of your _damned_ business, Weasley," Malfoy snarled, invading her space as he thrust his face within a foot of hers.

Ginny's natural reaction was to flinch and back down, but she was curious, damn it, and it wasn't like Malfoy was actually going to _hurt_ her, no matter how scary he could apparently act. She stiffened her spine and tilted her chin up to regard him with all the cool indifference she could muster.

"It _is_ my business. We're partners now, whether we like it or not. I trust you, you trust me, and all that rot. Now what happened to your hand? Is it hurt?" Ginny asked, her tone brisk, neutral, and business like.

Malfoy let out a choking bark of a laugh, and turned his body from her, almost protectively, "You could say that. You could definitely say that."

Despite herself, Ginny felt alarmed and she took one step toward him, reaching her hand out, "Do you- do you need help?"

Malfoy didn't reply, as he was in the process of tugging off the black glove with his right hand, finger by finger, his face dark and his brows furrowed in concentration. His light hair, loose and longer than she had ever seen it, fell forward over his face and covered his expression. Ginny stepped closer again, watching with a morbid fascination as the glove was finally drawn off his left hand, revealing a hand that appeared every bit like a normal human hand in form and size, were it not for the fact that it shone a harsh, metallic silver.

Ginny gasped and reared back, her eyes flying up to Malfoy's and her hands clapping over her mouth. His steely eyes were trained fixedly on hers and his expressive mouth was set severely as he displayed his hand mockingly for her.

'Satisfied? I don't have a hand anymore- this one is fake. Obviously," Malfoy spat in a rough, broken voice, "Alright, Weasley? Is your curiosity satiated now?"

Ginny nodded her head hurriedly, swallowing audibly, eyes wide.

"Excellent. Here's the information," Malfoy handed her a slip of paper, his body still angled away from her, spitting roughly, "Now get the hell away from me."

Ginny took the proffered scrap of parchment, tucked it into a deep pocket in her robes, and stepped back, turning to leave. She was aware that Malfoy was still standing in the same spot, his head now downcast and all of that fine, pale hair slipping to cover his face again, so she couldn't see his expression. She could still hear the harsh, uneven breaths Malfoy was taking and, sensing he needed privacy, reached into her pocket for her wand.

"Wait. Weasley." Malfoy looked up at her with an unreadable expression in his dark eyes, his voice silky soft, "Ginevra."

Ginny met his gaze, startled, when he used her full given name.

"H-how did she- was it-was it- me?" Malfoy stumbled over his words, before pausing and then asking abruptly, "Was it because of-?"

" _No_ ," Ginny broke in, gently and emphatically, sensing what he was getting it, "No, her death was unrelated to her contact with you. It was- there was a c-curse, and- well, we just couldn't save her in time."

Malfoy looked back down at his feet, reaching up with his strange, silver hand to push back the hair that had started to fall down into his eyes again.

"Thanks." His eyes flashed up to hers once, briefly, "Ginevra."

Speechless, Ginny nodded at him, then turned and disapparated on the spot.

* * *

A/N: Credit for the missing-hand Draco idea goes to MissiAmphetamine, from her amazing stories _The Risk Reward Ratio_ and _The Just World Fallacy_. I was intrigued by that idea, especially in a war-centric fic, and thought I'd give it a try.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

 **A/N: Sorry this took a bit. Hopefully I will be updating a bit more frequently, as my classes and finals are finally over (for a month at least)! Just a warning- there's a teeny bit of some steamy stuff in here- it's not my favorite stuff to write and it's not explicit- but it was necessary for the current dynamic between those two...**

 **Also, thank you to my first reviewers- yay!**

* * *

 _1 year later_

"You need to close your mind, Ginevra," Draco drawled, "Empty yourself of all emotions and feelings…-It's almost like you're not even trying."

"I _am_ trying, _Malfoy,_ but you haven't really told me _how_ to close my mind," Ginny put her hands on her hips petulantly.

"Have you been practicing meditating every day?" Draco asked.

"Well, yes, but I find it _more_ than a little bit difficult…-How am I supposed to shut off every thought I have? As soon as my mind goes as blank as it can, I start thinking at myself not to think anymore… and doesn't that mean I'm thinking…?" Ginny frowned at Draco.

Draco snorted, a soft inelegant sound, "You don't need to shut off thinking completely. Think of it like…a wall. You're protecting the thoughts and emotions that you want to hide, closing them off from others being able to reach them. Maybe we should practice some visualization exercises again…"

"Ugggh, I don't want to practice anymore bloody visualization exercises!" Ginny groaned in frustration.

Draco quirked an eyebrow in amusement, "Well, then are you ready for me to invade your mind again? I'm afraid it's one or the other, Ginevra."

Ginny sighed, brushing some strands of hair out of her eyes, "Fine. Go ahead."

She closed her eyes and concentrated hard; visualizing the thoughts she wanted to hide and, with her mind, creating a wall to protect them.

" _Legilimens,"_ Draco said, and she felt pain in her skull as something started to force its way in, pushing past her defenses- she focused on the wall, willing it to stay there- please, just stay this time- and for a moment it worked- the wall remained, her thoughts were safe- just hold it there a bit longer- but then everything shattered and Draco was _in_ her mind and she pushed against the invasion with all her might, squeezing her eyes tight, but he was everywhere and then- nothing-

Draco had lowered his wand and stepped back and Ginny staggered back a step, pressing her hands to her temples. Draco cocked an eyebrow at her, a saucy, smirking expression on his face,

"Really, Ginevra? I had no idea that you liked it so much when I did that."

Ginny turned red. That was what she hated most about these training sessions; Draco was able to see into her mind and see things…about them…that she would never admit out loud. It felt like a violation, but she wanted desperately to become adequately proficient in Occlumency, so she kept at it.

At some point, Draco must have moved, because Ginny looked up in surprise to find him standing less than a foot away. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek as he reached up slowly with his odd, metallic hand and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. The metal fingers were cold and smooth against her skin and she shivered. Reflexively, Ginny bent her head to the side, revealing her neck, as Draco lowered his head down slowly.

He ignored her neck and she felt him clasp his teeth around the sensitive skin on the lobe of her ear and gently pull, nibbling at her ear lightly. Ginny's eyes fluttered shut and she was unable to stop a whimper from escaping her lips as she felt herself melt against him. She heard Draco's deliciously dark chuckle against her throat and then she felt him _bite_ her earlobe, _hard._ Ginny yelped and pulled back, hand flying to her ear and eyes flashing, to meet Draco's smug expression.

"You're a _git,"_ she spat, crossing her arms over her chest and leveling an annoyed look at him.

Irritatingly, Draco continued to smirk at her and lazily crossed his arms in a cruel mockery of her pose, "I know."

"I don't know why I let you treat me like that," Ginny said softly, meeting his gaze.

Briefly, something flashed across Draco's face that looked oddly like pain, but in the next moment he was still looking at her smugly, so Ginny convinced herself that she had imagined it. Draco didn't answer her; instead, he stepped away from her, clearing his throat and asking in a voice that sounded slightly rough,

"Ready for me to try again?"

Ginny took a second to answer, nibbling on one corner of her lower lip. She was gratified to see Draco's eyes, fleetingly, flick down to fixate on her lips before meeting her gaze again.

"When am I going to learn Legilimency?" Ginny asked finally.

Draco's eyebrows rose briefly, but he continued to regard her indifferently, before saying smoothly, "When you've mastered Occlumency."

"But I'm never going to master Occlumency! I've been doing it for months now and I'm not making progress," Ginny whined.

"You _will_ ," Draco said confidently. "What you've done in our short practice time _is_ progress, Ginevra, whether you see it that way or not. When we started, you couldn't keep me out for even half of a second and I'm _barely_ an adequate Legilimens. Don't discount the progress you've made just because you're not progressing fast enough for your liking; it often takes years to reach this stage."

Ginny huffed, scowling, before uncrossing her arms and shaking out her limbs. She took a deep breath in, held it for a few counts, and then slowly released it, keeping her eyes closed. Then she opened them, looked into Draco's eyes, and said,

"Ok, I'm ready."

One corner of Draco's expressive mouth curled up slightly and he raised his wand. "This time, don't try so hard. Just let everything go."

 _Sure,_ Ginny thought, _as simple as that._ But she closed her eyes again and allowed herself to let go; she took another deep breath in, and as she counted out, she allowed her thoughts and feelings to be wiped away from her mind, as if her breath was a wave washing over the sand. She took another deep breath in, held it, and slowly let it out. Everything felt surreal in that moment, as if she was physically there in the forest clearing; yet her mind was somewhere else. She felt her thoughts slip by like the ocean current and she _breathed._

Ginny opened her eyes.

" _Legilimens,"_ Draco said.

* * *

"Do I even want to know why you're gone so long when you meet with….the _spy,_ Ginny?" Harry sighed, absently pushing back his unruly, dark hair.

"What do you mean?" Ginny felt her heart start to pound.

"I _mean_ ," Harry said carefully, "When you meet with the informant, you're gone most of the day. Yet it seems like they could simply tell you the information quickly, or give you a piece of paper with the information on it, and you could come right back here."

Ginny was silent for a moment, her thoughts racing. "We're establishing trust, Harry. You know that. The contact met with Tonks for _years_ and _years_ and I'm still someone new. This is just how it works, building the relationship and all that. I shouldn't have to explain myself to you," Ginny said, aware that she sounded defensive, but unable to stop herself.

"I know. I _guess_ I get that," Harry said slowly, turning to face Ginny, "I just worry, that's all. Everyone does."

Ginny's expression softened at that, and she smiled at Harry. They had not pursued their relationship any further after Harry left her for her safety all those years ago when she was still in school. After Harry failed to defeat Voldemort at the end of his 7th year, they had decided that they were better as friends. Over the years, they'd become better friends than ever, and were closer in that way than they had ever been while they were briefly a couple. Ginny was one of the few people to know that Harry had been seeing Luna Lovegood for a few months; recently, he'd revealed to Ginny that he was in love with the eccentric, former Ravenclaw. Ginny's heart had hurt at that; not because Harry loved someone else, but because she was sure no one would ever love her like that.

She looked across the field where they were sitting, taking a break from dueling training. It was a cool, breezy day, and Ginny watched lazily as the long grasses next to her moved with the wind. It was late afternoon, and already the sun was beginning to go down, casting long shadows over everything. The field next to the safe house was currently filled with groups of other Resistance fighters; all taking breaks from their training. Ginny saw her brother, Ron, laugh at something Hermione had said, and then reached over gently to tuck a clump of Hermione's curls behind her ear. An image of Draco smirking at her after having bitten her sharply on the lip flashed through her mind. Ginny looked away quickly, tears pricking the corners of her eyes and her heart burning in her chest.

"Why _did_ Tonks pick you?" Harry was asking now, "Did she say?

Tonks hadn't said, and that was something Ginny wondered about every day. Why had Tonks thought that Ginny was the best person to deal with Draco Malfoy? Was it something to do with their history together? Was it a chance to overcome family rivalries, and all that? It seemed like something Tonks would go for. Instead of voicing these thoughts, Ginny just leveled a mock glare at Harry, "Why, you don't think I'm capable?"

"Of _course_ that's not it!" Harry said earnestly, turning serious, green eyes on her, the sarcasm in her tone completely lost to him. "Obviously, you're capable, Ginny. No, I just wonder, that's all."

"Me too, Harry," Ginny said, standing up and brushing off the seat of her jeans, "Enough of a break, do you think? Shall we delve back into non-verbal curses?"

Harry nodded, and accepted the hand Ginny had offered to help pull him to his feet.

* * *

 _Two months later_

Absently, Ginny was aware that something, most likely a root or a rock, was digging into the small of her back. She shifted around on the forest floor, which only served to make the object dig even further into her back, while also bringing her hips in closer contact with the obvious bulge in Draco's trousers. "Fuck," he let out a strangled sound, his voice muffled against her neck. His right hand clenched both of her wrists tightly, holding her arms high over her head, while his false left hand gripped purposefully at her waist, the metal digging into her skin, and then moving with intent lower down her body. He brought his lips to her breast, took one nipple between his teeth, and bit. Ginny yelped, and squirmed again, more decisively pushing her hips up into his.

At this, Draco released her breast, hand moving away from the clasp of her pants, and drew back, looking at her with scolding eyes. Ginny was lost in a haze of lust and ignored the warning in his gaze. His beautifully shaped lips were reddened and swollen from kissing and Ginny couldn't stop looking at them. She made a soft, keening sound and rocked her hips into him again.

"Please," Ginny pleaded softly, "please…- t-touch-"

Draco leaned down and covered her lips with his own, silencing her pleas and biting down hard on her bottom lip, just stopping short of drawing blood.

"No," he whispered cruelly, one corner of his lips curling up against her cheek.

Then, all too soon, Draco rolled off of her and was sitting up. Casually, he rose to his feet with his usual feline grace, brushing off his dark clothes fastidiously. Ginny remained on the ground; shirt still drawn up above her breasts, lips kiss swollen. She was still breathing heavily, as she watched Draco swipe his left hand through his light hair, forcing it back into some sort of order. Then he held out that same hand for Ginny's, and drew her to her feet. Scowling at him, she yanked her bra and shirt back into place.

"I hate you," Ginny spat, as she half-heartedly wiped at her clothes.

"I know," Draco said, and when Ginny looked back up, his smirk was gone, replaced by a thoughtful, calculating expression.

Then he tilted his head, considering her, taking in her rumpled fighting gear, her tangled, dark red hair and her bite-swollen lips. He advanced one step closer to her, still looking at her with that strange, guarded expression. Lightning-quick, his silver hand flashed forward, and plucked something out of her hair. Ginny watched it fall to the ground as he tossed it away; it had been a twig. Then Draco stepped back and his face returned to a careful blankness.

"Shall we start with Legilimency today?" He asked neutrally.

Ginny felt her jaw drop, stupidly, and she looked up at Draco incredulously. This was the first time he had suggested she try Legilimency and for him to mention it so casually had her feeling a little bit off-balance.

"Just like that? Suddenly, I'm just ready for Legilimency?" Ginny asked skeptically.

Draco just quirked his expressive mouth into that infuriating smirk again, "Only one way to find out, right? For the past four meetings, you've successfully closed your mind. Even when I tried forcing my way in, each time, you successfully blocked me from entering. Don't you think you're ready for a new challenge?"

Ginny just looked at him for a full minute, and then quickly nodded her head.

"Sure, I'm ready," she said, with more confidence than she felt.

Ginny wiped her sweating palms on her pants, then raised her wand, aiming it at Draco. He looked back calmly at her, then said,

"I'll only put up a _very_ minor block this first time and we'll see what happens."

Ginny nodded again and, maintaining her wand on him, spoke the incantation, the unfamiliar word coming out slightly jumbled. For a second, Ginny was afraid she had said the word wrong and that nothing would happen at all. Then she realized that nothing was probably going to happen anyway, as Legilimency was notoriously more difficult than Occlumency.

Suddenly, Ginny saw Draco's eyes widen almost imperceptibly and he reared back and then unexpectedly she could _see_ \- images were flashing behind her eyes- and they weren't things that she knew- and she was aware that, somehow, she was in Draco's _mind_ \- but then- something was pushing back against her and the images disappeared and Ginny was left gasping for breath. Draco had staggered back and was staring at her in astonishment with impossibly wide, grey eyes.

"What- how did-," he started, then shook his head as if to dislodge something, "How did you _do_ that?"

Draco's voice was harsh and demanding and his dark gaze was still boring into her. Still feeling shaky, Ginny just looked back vacantly, still lost in what she had seen, and shook her head absently. Draco pushed back his hair again, an odd reflex of his, and appeared to be trying to pull himself back together. When he looked at her again, his lips had a slight, sour twist to them.

"Well, looks like you're a natural Legilimens, huh? Who would've _ever_ thought?" he drawled glibly.

Ginny just shook her head, "I don't know- I mean, I've _never_ -", then she broke off, at a loss for what she could say.

"I must say, Ginevra, I've never seen anything like it- the way you just picked it up like that... It took me a full year to even be able to get _anything_ out of anyone. I'm… impressed," Draco said grudgingly, his tone still sharp.

Ginny just continued staring into the vague middle distance, still in shock and not at all sure what to say.

"Apparently I was too easy on you. I won't make that mistake again. Shall we go again?" Draco said more softly now, then tipped his head down in an effort to meet her downcast eyes.

Ginny nodded, and raised her wand, her voice stronger this time and not stumbling over the word. Draco _was_ a skilled Occlumens, and this time, she knew he was using his skill to its fullest effect; there was a wall there, hiding thoughts he didn't want her to see from her view. Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, concentrated on navigating through his mind, searching for a gap, but she _couldn't_ and he was blocking her, pushing her out. She dropped her arm, letting out her breath in a whoosh and looked down, feeling defeated. She stepped back, unable to meet his gaze, after failing when he had said just a moment ago that she'd impressed him. Draco remained still, watching her, waiting as she caught her breath.

"Again," he commanded softly.

Ginny's eyes flashed up to his, "I can't-"

" _Again,_ Ginevra," he interrupted, raising his voice.

Resigned, Ginny lifted her wand again, feeling angry and frustrated.

" _Legilimens,"_ she said fiercely.

The wall was there and just like last time, Ginny staggered away after a moment. Draco regarded her blankly.

"You stayed in longer this time," he remarked, pausing, and then repeated, "Again."

Draco had her practice again and again and again, for most of the afternoon. Ginny's muscles were sore from maintaining the same posture for hours on end and her brain _hurt_. The sky was beginning to darken and Ginny was ready to admit defeat and give up until next time. Draco stood his ground and told her to keep trying.

"Try to go after a certain emotion; it will help if you go in with a specific mission in mind, instead of trying to search through my whole mind," Draco advised cryptically.

"Yeah, lots of empty space in there, I reckon," Ginny said, giving him an impudent look from under her lashes, "I expect that's why I can't find anything…"

Draco didn't react, just regarded her impassively and said, "Again."

Ginny took a breath, released it, lifted her wand and, with the thought of - _happiness_ -, spoke the incantation and plunged back in. She held on tight to the feeling of happiness, feeling a sense of contentment wash over her, and this time there were fissures and light was seeping through and then –there- she was there – flashes of Draco flying – of Draco as a little boy with his mother – and Ginny was there, too – this clearing- And then just as quickly, there was nothing again.

Draco was breathing heavily, looking away from her, and as Ginny stared, the tops of his high cheekbones were flushed a light pink. Dazed, Ginny shook herself and then felt a slow smile spread across her face.

"Malfoy, I did it!" she said excitedly, "I mean, it only took me all afternoon, but I _did_ it, can you believe it? You were trying that time right; you didn't just let me in? It didn't _feel_ like you just let me in-"

Ginny was practically hopping around in excitement. She hadn't felt so joyful in _years._

"No, I didn't just _let_ you in, Ginevra. Trust me, I was trying," Draco snapped.

Ginny beamed. Draco was still staring at her with that unreadable expression on his face, his eyes narrowed.

"I've known Occlumency since I was sixteen years old and I'm confident enough to say that I know I am quite skilled. You successfully breached my mind using Legilimency after one day of practice, and you're trying to write it off because it _took you all afternoon_? Ginevra, it took me _years_ to obtain the progress you made in one day," Draco said bitterly.

Chastened, Ginny bit her lip and looked down, "You're right. I'm sorry, I was being silly. I'm not sure how I'm so good at this. It doesn't really make sense."

Draco nodded stiffly, lifting one shoulder in an effortlessly graceful shrug, "You're a natural. It must be an intuitive skill. There's no other way to explain how you could have picked it up so quickly."

Ginny noticed that Draco appeared to be holding himself differently; his shoulders were hunched forward slightly and his face was closed off, even his typically animated mouth. If he had been anyone else, Ginny would have said that he looked defensive.

Tentatively, Ginny stepped forward and placed her left hand on the inside of his left arm, lightly tracing the ghastly, serpentine skull that marred the otherwise smooth skin there. He flinched when she touched his Mark, clenching his jaw and looking away.

"I'm sorry for invading your mind, Draco," Ginny said carefully, aware that this had been a rather familiar thing for him to let her do and his guarded attitude was probably a result of this.

His head shot up at her use of his given name and he looked at her for a long moment, grey eyes dark with emotion. Then he rolled his shoulders back, shooting her a smug look. His lips twisted wryly and he bent down until they touched her ear.

"I can think of one or two ways you could repay me," Draco whispered, his hot breath in her ear sending tendrils of fire over her skin, and jolting her to her core.

His right hand gripped her hip roughly and, abruptly, he pressed his false left hand crudely between her legs through her jeans; Ginny inhaled sharply, instinctively canting her head to the side. His mouth latched onto the sensitive skin of her neck and he nipped lightly with his teeth, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses over her sweat-salty skin. His tongue followed the path his lips had taken and then traced lightly over the shell of her ear. Ginny shivered, in pleasure and with something else. She couldn't believe she let him treat her so roughly and so without apparent care.

Draco's nimble, false fingers carefully opened the snap of her jeans and then he thrust his hand inside, cold metal harsh against her private skin and Ginny gasped, letting out a moan as he cupped his fingers in just the right way against her. She _hated_ how he made her feel, how he was cruel, but then made her want and need him so much. She felt weak and helpless, but powerless to stop him, and she did nothing to move his hand away as he continued to curl his fingers against her and into her.

Moments later, she was gasping and twitching on his hand, after her building release finally broke and she had spoken his name, his given name, on a low, guttural moan. Draco was looking down at her with a self-satisfied expression on his face, silvery eyes glinting, and then he withdrew his false hand, dragging it roughly against her skin as it went. Ginny snaked her right hand down and caught his wrist before he could withdraw it completely. Carefully, she brought the silver fingers to her mouth and sucked them between her lips, the metal strange against her tongue. Draco let out an unrefined sort of strangled gasp at this, and Ginny smirked.

Then she was lifting herself onto her tiptoes, bracing her hand against his chest and scraping aside his pale hair to whisper in his ear. She thought she could feel him shiver as her breath drifted across his cheek.

"Your turn, next time, I expect. And don't think I won't make you beg. I'll have you on your knees, begging me that you'll do anything so I will get you off, and I might-" Ginny closed her mouth down around his jaw roughly with her teeth, "Or, I might just leave you there-" Then she surreptitiously slipped the scrap of parchment containing the information out of his breast pocket, grabbed her wand, and disapparated.

* * *

"Charlie, look!" Ginny laughed, poking at her brother's arm to get his attention, "Teddy's given himself a pig snout!"

Charlie turned and joined Ginny in looking at where Teddy was playing with some Quidditch figurines on the floor. The little boy was grinning up at them, his blue hair tousled, an impish grin on his face, with what was unmistakably a pig nose in the middle of his face. Ginny had taken to spending as much time as possible with the boy, remembering that Tonks had made her promise that Ginny would help look after him. Earlier in the day, she had told Andromeda that she would watch him so the older woman could have a day to herself and to try to get some rest.

Watching Teddy now, Ginny felt her face drop into an expression of sadness.

"Tonks used to do that…just like that. The pig snout thing," Ginny whispered unhappily. "He reminds me so much of her."

Charlie shifted closer to Ginny and wrapped a comforting arm around her narrow shoulders, a frown crossing his features.

"Are you taking care of yourself, Gin? You feel awfully thin," Charlie asked worriedly, "Sometimes I worry that you're taking too much on- between training, helping to look after Teddy, not to mention your secret mission…"

Ginny shrugged one shoulder and scooched over to kneel next to Teddy on the floor. With her wand, she levitated a small figure on a broom and zoomed it around for a moment, while Teddy looked on delightedly, a childish laugh pealing through the air. Charlie waited, continuing to watch his sister play with Teddy, but Ginny made no attempt to continue the conversation.

"Ginevra," Charlie said sharply, and Ginny looked up at her brother, eyes wide, "You're ignoring me."

Ginny narrowed her eyes, letting the toy fall abruptly back down to the floor with a clatter. " _Don't_ call me Ginevra. You don't call me that-"

"Well, don't ignore my question then," Charlie shot back, narrowing his eyes at her.

Ginny sighed and sat back on her haunches, running a hand anxiously through her hair, before wrapping her arms around upraised knees. She opened her mouth once, hesitating, and then closed it again, her lips turning down at the corners.

Charlie sighed, and his blue eyes softened, "Look, Gin, I'm not trying to be a pest. I know that you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. But I also know that you tend to take on too much and forget to do things -like sleeping… -and eating. I just want to make sure you're doing alright."

Ginny smiled faintly at Charlie and bit her lip, glancing back to watch Teddy, who had stopped playing and was staring at both adults with wide, unblinking eyes. "I'm alright. Who can sleep and eat when the world is the way it is?"

Charlie smiled sadly and picked up an intricately small dragon figurine, before turning it on Teddy and making exaggerated roaring noises. Shrieking in excitement, Teddy scampered away on his short legs. It was easy to remember to remain hopeful around a child, even one who had experienced such loss as Teddy already had in his young life. Ginny found herself spending as much time with the boy as she could, partly in an attempt to keep thoughts of the war and feelings of despair at bay.

"So things are going alright?" Charlie asked nonchalantly, as he made the dragon swoop down towards Teddy's figurines, "With the secret mission, I mean?"

" _Quick, Teddy, we have to defend the citizens from Charlie the Evil Dragon! Get them to the hiding place_!" Ginny then looked to Charlie, saying vaguely, "I suppose. I mean, it's progressing as expected."

"It's been over a year now, huh? What kind of relationship do you have...with the informant?" Charlie asked carefully, keeping his voice light and casual, "I mean, you must be getting to know them a bit- what are they like?"

Ginny leveled a mock-irritated look at her brother, "You're fishing for something, Charlie, and you're not even being subtle about it."

"I'm sorry, I'm just so curious!" Charlie laughed, putting his hands up defensively, "I just wish you would give me _some_ sort of a hint."

"Nope, no way! You know I can't," Ginny said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Not even a teeny little clue? For your favorite brother?" Charlie wheedled, shooting Ginny an exaggerated pout.

"You're not my favorite brother anymore, not if you keep this up…" Ginny grumbled, "I'll have to go inform George about his new position."

"Male or female?" Charlie persisted.

"You are shameless, Charlie Weasley!" Ginny cried, then shot him a smirk, "…Female."

Charlie's mouth dropped open, "So it _IS_ Bellatrix, then? Just as I suspected."

Ginny let out a harsh bark of laughter, before shaking her head exasperatedly at her brother and sighing, "Yes, Charlie, I've been meeting Bellatrix Lestrange in secret for a year and she's fed us _all_ of her juicy gossip about Voldemort. Additionally, she's been giving me lessons in dark magic as well as tips about how to be a psychotic bi-" Ginny broke off quickly, looking over at Teddy.

Charlie shot Ginny a crooked smile and then abruptly launched himself at Teddy, tickling the boy's sides. Ginny watched her brother play with the little boy and wondered for a moment at Charlie's eternal optimism. She knew enough to know that it was simply the way her brother handled difficult times, just as Ginny handled it by shutting down and withdrawing, but it was refreshing to be around nonetheless.

"Alright, Teddums," Ginny reached out a hand for the boy, "Shall we go find your Grand-mum and get us a yummy snack?"


End file.
